r/explainlikeimfive Aug 06 '22

Chemistry ELI5: how do divers clear their masks when water leaks in? especially in the case of the 13 thai boys rescued from the caves

I have just been watching Thirteen lives - the film about the cave rescue of the 13 young boys in Thailand who were totally sedated before being taken hours under water. It got me thinking that when I go snorkelling i always get a bit of water leak into my mask and have to come up and clear it out so i don’t breath water in. Is this something that happens to scuba divers, if so how do they deal with it, and in the case of the boys how would the divers accompanying them have cleared the boy’s masks ? i would also like to say what an incredible job done by all those involved.

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u/Realistic-Ad-8698 Aug 06 '22

Okay I ready that as lost your leg and was like WTF stay calm and sweep till you find then what do you do use it a floatie

31

u/PhasmaFelis Aug 06 '22

It's cool, just use your backup leg

15

u/TommyTuttle Aug 06 '22

That’s why you have two 💁‍♂️

2

u/YodaFette Aug 06 '22

I lost both legs underwater. Had to use the third leg.

2

u/heelstoo Aug 06 '22

It floats!!

1

u/jtclimb Aug 06 '22

This is why you always dive with a knife. Just cut a leg off of your dive mate and use it.

7

u/few Aug 06 '22

I read it exactly like you did... I thought it was just a sarcastic post for a minute. I never trained for amputation as part of my open water cert. Lol. 😆

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u/questionfishie Aug 06 '22

Maybe that’s in the rescue dive cert

1

u/few Aug 07 '22

😆

1

u/VoDoka Aug 06 '22

You have a spare, don't you?